Seasons of Change
by Kiraeon
Summary: She wasn't the kind of girl to change... or at least, that's what he believed when he saw her again. Post Timeskip and will contain spoilers in the chapters.
1. Return

_Decided to challenge myself to see if I'm able to get Sakura's characterization down or if I should go on to another character. Not all of these will be about Sakura, though a good deal of them will be. These will be a series of connected drabbles, ficlets and one shots; I have no pairing in mind and it'll be up to the readers to decide for themselves what the undertones are._

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto; Kishimoto does.**_

He had expected tears and angry shouts from what Naruto had rather gleefully told him about Sakura's increased control over her chakra and the 'insane' amount of strength she reportedly gained since Orochimaru's death and his failed attempt on his brother's life. She never was very good at hiding her emotions, made it all too easy to manipulate her into near uselessness and to use them against her.

At least, that's how Sasuke remembered her.

Standing there as the sun rose over the horizon, a part of him was slightly surprised by the way her shoulders were straight, her head held high and her eyes giving away a slight hint of anxiety beneath the serious expression on her face. Why he noticed such a little detail, such as her hair remaining short or the way she held herself with both feet planted firmly on the ground, was beyond his understanding and he let his pace slow ever so slightly as Naruto raced ahead to loudly proclaimed that he'd kept his 'promise' to her.

Even threatening to slit his throat, blade damn near in the loudmouth's flesh, hadn't convinced the village idiot to let him in on this supposed secret he had.

Her smile was distracted, eyes drifting his way as they'd always done when he was around, and a simple hug with words quietly spoken beneath his hearing range in return for all the yelling and celebration. Somethings wouldn't change that easily, he thought to himself with a ghost of a smirk turning the corner of his mouth as Sakura shushed Naruto and walked towards him. Likely to give him the same, or better, treatment and a welcome home or back to the team was what Sasuke believed and watched her approach with the detached sense of boredom he'd always used around her. Sakura was the type of girl who, despite her emotion driven impulses, resisted and detested any sort of change. He'd let her believe he was still the same boy who'd left the village three years ago... even if it was just to humor her for a little while.

Her approach was something interesting to observe, every footstep carefully calculated and her guard somewhat relaxed. There was no need to activate the Sharingan on someone such as Sakura, not with her predictable nature that, at times, rivaled Naruto himself. She stopped just shy of a foot away from him, green eyes searching his expression and boldly staring into his eyes despite her knowledge of what he could do to her if he activated the Sharingan. The pulse in the vein he could see on her throat was quick despite the controlled expression she had to be working hard to keep on her face, her body was just as expressive as she was with her words and with her emotions.

No, Sasuke thought to himself with a mental sneer, she hadn't changed her way of thinking in the slightest. He'd opened his mouth to speak when a black fist came out of nowhere and connected securely with his jaw in, had he known the assailant, what would have been an admirable right hook. Stumbling back and damn near knocked off his feet, his hand came up and wiped away the blood from the split lip he'd caused by biting down from the impact while his head turned to face the attacker and likely give a bit of punishment in retaliation.

Though, really, he hadn't expected a pair of tear filled green eyes to be glaring at him and the way her hand massaged her knuckles beneath the leather gloves led him to believe that, as much as he'd like to place the blame on some hidden fool with a vendetta against him, Sakura herself had been the one to deliver the punch.

He didn't miss the tears falling down her cheeks as she turned her back on him, wiped at her eyes and proceeded to march back towards the village gates with her head still held high and her shoulders and posture proud. Naruto was gawking openly, staring at the retreating back of their pink haired teammate before looking back at him, then back to her and back to him several times before he scratched his head and shrugged.

"Bet you didn't see that one coming."

He gave a snort in response, dignity and sense of smug satisfaction somewhat shattered by the way Sakura had managed to completely destroy any illusions of his return back to a place that hadn't changed. No, he hadn't seen that coming, at least, not from her anyway, and if he'd read the expression and emotions on her face correctly; he was either going to have some groveling to do or he'd have to play it cool and make her talk to him.

The latter would be the one he would usually go with and since he had become a slight creature of habit, it would be the way he would choose to deal with the situation.

After all, he _was_ Uchiha Sasuke; the one that the girls went crazy over and the one a certain pink haired kunoichi he knew happened to be fond of.


	2. Healing

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the associated characters; Kishimoto does.**_

Tsunade couldn't help but watch with interest at the way her apprentice threw herself into her hospital work and training. She'd come up to the gates of the village just in time to see Sakura storm past her with an expression Tsunade was all too familiar with and the reason behind such an expression following behind Naruto himself. Well, Naruto's gleeful laughter and the fact that Sakura had left a bit of an imprint, literally, on the rogue Uchiha's face told her the rest of the unspoken story behind the girl's tears. Tsunade herself couldn't have been more proud of the scowl on Sasuke's face... or the fact that he tried not to wince as she and Shizune marched him into the office and conducted a physical examination on the spot.

Well... despite the ridiculous amount of paperwork that had suddenly appeared on her desk after the council caught wind of the renegade's return; she was still proud of the two Genin she'd watched become highly skilled and adaptable Chuunin.

"Shizune?"

Black eyes immediately rose from the stack of paperwork that she'd taken from Tsunade to try and help out. Curiosity in her expression as she waited patiently for her boss and friend to continue the conversation or finish whatever thought was behind the rather thoughtful brown eyes.

"Will you let Sakura know that she's free to go for the day? I think she's earned a day off for all her efforts in the past week."

Shizune nodded and took her leave with a bow. A smile appeared on her face as she shut the door to the Hokage's office behind her, despite popular belief that Tsunade herself had groomed Sakura in her image, she had her personal opinion that the two of them were just a little more than Student and Teacher. Thoughfully considering the evidence of the latter against the arguments of the former, she shook her head with a bit of a laugh. If there were ever a true daughter for Tsunade; the Hokage herself had found one in the determined girl currently threatening the man with a dislocated shoulder if he moved even an inch without her direct order.

Despite her protests of being 'fine' and wanting to work more, Sakura found herself outside the hospital and staring irritably at the bustling village streets leading towards her home. Thoughts and the temptation to divide the streets with a fist to the ground filling her mind, she decided to go home and shower before she did anything else. Besides, she didn't want to go out smelling like disinfectant for crying out loud... even if she would eventually wind up dragging Naruto or perhaps even ask for Neji to the training grounds to work off the frustration mounting in her brain.

Shizune herself watched from Tsunade's side as the girl stormed off towards her home with a smile that matched the rather amused grin on the busty woman's face. If she knew Sakura like she believed she'd gotten to know her, the young woman would go home and take a long, hot shower, get something to eat and get dressed before grabbing Naruto out of Ichiraku's or asking another of the Chuunin to accompany her to the training grounds to have a grueling and fast paced workout to improve her skills.

Oh if only Sakura knew just how like her instructor she was; the two of them healed their own emotional wounds in the exact same way.


	3. Storm

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto; Kishimoto does.**_

The worst thunderstorm in Konohagakure history struck on the day of Uchiha Itachi's funeral.

Years of using the Mangekyou Sharingan hadn't been kind on the older Uchiha's eyes and the technique itself combined with a skilled assault that pointedly hadn't included Sasuke had taken the infamous clan slayer down in a gloriously horrifying battle that Sakura swore would be told for generations to come. Despite his defection from the village and all he'd done to torment Sasuke, there was a part of Sakura that couldn't bear seeing his body thrown aside carelessly like it was a kitchen scrap for the dogs. As a result and with Sasuke present, and in one hell of a pissy mood might she add, she had requested that they bury him with the family he so detested; just to spite him even in the afterlife.

She had actually expected Sasuke to strike her or at the very least tell her she was insane; anything so she could just deck him and point to the body lying in the next room before screaming at him that, despite his vow for vengence, that was still his brother and even traitorous family members deserved a proper burial. Much to her surprise, Sasuke had actually calmly, if a bit irritably, informed Tsunade that she had been correct; traitor or not, Itachi was to be buried with the rest of the Uchiha; as per Uchiha tradition with all the traitors they'd had in the family.

The rain howled and the winds ripped at the trees, the leaves and everyone who'd bothered to show up. With a sinking heart, Sakura knew most of them wanted to watch, and likely wait to desecrate the Uchiha prodigy's grave the moment it was left alone. She remembered the fierce amount of power rolling off of the man in waves when the battle had waged, the way the realization had struck him when, of all people, Hinata had managed a sneak attack from behind with her Gentle Fist style and sealed the chakra points in his legs and arms at the same time Gai, Lee and Kakashi had used the same taijutsu based attack to knock him clear through three trees and Tenten, Neji, Shino and Kiba had contributed to the battle with a storm of kunai, senbon and shuriken in Itachi's general direction.

Prepared to knock the living hell out of him with a carefully constructed punch with as much chakra in her fist as it would take to likely break his back without killing him, and thus render him somewhat harmless, Sakura had approached with caution to find the Akatsuki member struggling to move himself into an upright position. Even from where she'd stood; she'd been able to see that his chakra was damn near gone and the damage he'd sustained was too great for his personal recovery. To compare the state of weakness to those who hadn't believed her; he'd lost enough chakra that the Sharingan, much less the Mangekyou Sharingan, wasn't even activated and the lack of red eyes only solidfied the similarities to a recently returned teammate of hers.

His eyes had met hers, and though her flinch and defensive stance was purely instinctive at that point, he had merely and barely inclined his head to her before he'd let his head rest against the shattered tree trunk behind him and closed his eyes for the last time. Even now, with Tsunade beginning her speech about the deceased genius' life and accomplishments, Sakura found herself wondering just what it was that Itachi's nod to her was supposed to mean. Was it acknowledgment of some sort? A show that he understood he'd been defeated and accepted his fate?

People came and went, not eager enough to wait around in the storm as the service ended and people went home or somewhere else to celebrate the death of a known criminal and to get out of the storm; Naruto waiting beside Sakura before gently elbowing her to incline his head towards Sasuke and patting her on the shoulder. He left soon after that with a low murmur to ask that she drag Sasuke with her to meet him at Ichiraku's when she felt he was done brooding over the grave itself. All she wanted to do was just slap him and ask if he felt good about his brother's demise and if he could continue to live without the anticipation of meeting and destroying Itachi. Wanted to ask if all the feelings he'd dreamed he'd have when Itachi was dead and the Uchiha avenged were all he'd ever wanted them to be.

Despite the fact that she couldn't even begin to say anything without the fear of sticking her foot in her mouth or being rather caustic, Sakura moved to stand at Sasuke's side and waited for him to either tell her to get lost or at least acknowledge her presence. He didn't say anything or even seem to realize she was there until she turned to make sure they weren't being watched by anyone unwanted.

"He wasn't supposed to die until he informed me what his 'ability' was."

His eyes turned away from the fresh grave of his brother and settled on the unusual expression on Sakura's face. In return she met his eyes fearlessly and asked him a question that had been on her mind for quite some time but, well, she'd never gotten the nerve to ask him in her younger years.

"Even though he was your rival for your father's attention; was your brother still your best friend before everything happened?"

When it looked like Sasuke was about to immediately answer, she managed to do the same look that Itachi had given her before he'd died and stared at him with a solemn, patient expression on her face. Though she'd bet five to one that her expression was a hell of a lot more compassionate than the older Uchiha's had been. For a moment his own expression turned odd, his head turning to one side as if he couldn't quite figure out what the hell was with her before he gave it up and responded.

"I don't know; apparently all younger brothers are supposed to see their older brothers as their best friend; what does that have to do with-"

He stopped in the middle of his question, as if someone had physically silenced him from speaking aloud and looked up in realization to see Sakura do the same little nod of acknowledgment that Itachi had done whenever he'd done something particularly well before she turned away from him and started walking away from him. Despite the rain and the wind, she looked back at him without squinting and at the grave before her words carried back to him.

"Naruto's waiting for us at Ichiraku's."

With one last look at his brother's grave, Sasuke vowed to return later for more thought, and perhaps a one sided chat with his brother since he'd been unable to yell at him when he'd planned to in battle, and caught up easily with the pink haired medic he'd known for years. After a few moments of silence and in the storm's rage, he finally spoke to break the silence up... and because it was driving him nuts that Sakura had managed to become so accomplished at playing the Silent Treatment game he'd used to be a master of.

"With your question, does this mean we're on speaking terms again?"

Sakura didn't even bat an eyelash as she responded to his question, raising a hand to wave at a rather cheerful Naruto as he came bounding out to meet them- and with an umbrella for her too; he really was taking a page out of watching the other boys when they were trying to win the girls' affections.

"We were never _not_ on speaking terms; but just because I'll talk to you doesn't mean I'm ready to forgive you."

Sasuke blinked as Naruto held the umbrella over Sakura's head, despite the fact that the girl was soaked to the skin and grinned at Sasuke as if he had some kind of private joke to share with him later. Maybe he was _still_ wrong about the female member from Team Seven being predictable; after all, she should have already forgiven him by this point and be back to fawning her attention all over him.


	4. Not Enough

_Thank you to everyone who has reviewed! Your feedback and comments are very much appreciated. Note; chapter is PG-13 because of Sai's little... fascination with a certain bit of anatomy._

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto; Kishimoto does.**_

Naruto paced back and forth in the waiting room of the hospital, Sai on one of the uncomfortable couches and sketched, Kakashi leaned against the wall to nap and Sasuke sat silently across from Sai and kept his eyes trained on the lit sign above the closed double doors of one of the many operating rooms the hospital had. For three of the four in the room, this had become an unspoken ritual to show their support for their teammate when a rather nasty emergency pulled her out of bed in the unspeakable hours of the night. Sasuke had only sensed Naruto's anxiety through his chakra and had followed the then three man cell to the hospital before someone let him in on what had been so important that the entire team had formed without him. Sai had quite callously informed Sasuke of his personal reason for not mentioning the Uchiha's name on their list of people to pick up along the way and bestowed an official nickname to the former member of Team Seven.

Silence became the name of the game between the two black haired members of the group.

One hour went by in a blink of an eye, then three more and finally dawn was just started to peek its head over the horizon when the light above the door went dark and the sounds of Tsunade yelling at someone to "get her out of here" were followed by something heavy connecting with the wall and rattling about half the hospital wing itself. Footsteps and a brief flare of chakra unlocked the door in front of them, causing different reactions amongst the young men gathered there as they waited and prepared themselves for her emergence into the waiting room. Kakashi's book mysteriously vanished, Sai's sketchbook was closed and back in his bag with the pencil, Naruto stopped pacing and looked anxiously towards the door.

Last but certainly not least was Sasuke; he chose to merely turn his head towards the door and waited.

Sakura stumbled out from the open doors, covered in blood and with a distinct clench of her jaw that told everyone in the room how well the procedure had gone. Naruto was there before Sasuke could even blink, catching the pink haired girl as her legs buckled and threw her forward and pulled her back to her feet. Her arms were limply draped over his shoulders for a long moment before she buried her head into the blond's shoulder and embraced him tightly with her shoulders shaking. Kakashi's hand settled on the girl's head in his own attempt to comfort the silently sobbing girl while Sai stood somewhat uncomfortably on the other side.

"Sakura; you did what you could and even went beyond that. The virus weakened her heart to the point where she just gave up the fight."

Tsunade's voice rang out from behind the group, Sasuke's eyes narrowing as the busty woman's blood covered form came up and touched the younger girl's shoulder softly. The fact that the harsh lighting in the hospital started to show the age and weariness even in Tsunade's face was enough to convince the observing Uchiha that the current Hokage and Sakura had more in common than their unusual physical strength and their medical and healing prowess.

Both of them _hated_ to lose and didn't take it well when they did.

Tsunade left, heading for the showers to clean the blood off of her and leaving Sakura to Team Seven to comfort and console. It had surprised her that Sasuke had actually bothered to show up at the little ritual that the other three had formed whenever she'd had to call Sakura out of her house to help her and Shizune on a particularly nasty case that would hit the hospital. Then again, she didn't think that Sasuke was necessarily there out of sincerity and good will for his teammate like Naruto, Kakashi and even Sai in his own peculiar way were.

Sai's eyes scowled at nothing in particular as he shifted his weight to the other foot and broke the silence and the sounds of his teammate sniffling and trying to compose herself.

"You even have Traitor showing some concern for you Ugly, see?"

Watery green eyes opened wide as she felt Naruto tense up and heard the thud of a body connecting with the hospital wall. Moving away shakily from the blond's support and turning around, she sensed the Sharingan already whirling and forced herself to maintain some form of control over what little chakra she had in her to storm over there and duck under Sasuke's arm to glare right into the activated dojutsu. Despite the memory of fearing her own illusory death when she'd met Itachi's gaze and held it playing through her mind, Sakura gritted her teeth and stood her ground against the ever infuriating boy she'd known since childhood.

"I am a doctor in this hospital and I will _not_ let you start this kind of crap while I'm around; do you two understand me? If you want to beat the hell out of each other; do it when I'm not around and please; kill each other so I don't have to hear you two bitching about the other later on."

She stood there despite the fact that her knees were about to give out on her for the second time and waited for Sasuke to put the Sharingan away. Sai was faster than Sasuke when it came to catching the furious medic when her knees gave way and had her in his arms faster than the other man could turn off his bloodline and move. Green eyes looked up in surprise at the blank expression on Sai's face as the ANBU trained boy shrugged and turned to walk out of the hospital before scolding her and showing his concern in his own... unique way.

"You're less threatening when you keep collapsing Hag."

Kakashi didn't miss the hate building in his student's eyes as Naruto followed Sai to take Sakura home, yelling back that he'd make sure Sai didn't do anything nasty or perverted to _his_ Sakura-chan before getting into a three way fight with Sai and Sakura over whether or not he had a penis. The masked ninja smiled a little at the antics and stood next to Sasuke with his arms folded across his chest, watching the trio vanish around the corner and shaking his head when he heard a rather vocal and threatening voice telling Sai and Naruto to _shut up_ or she'd hurt them in ways only a medical ninja could possibly achieve.

"It's a bit of a shame, isn't it Sasuke-kun?"

When silence remained for too long, the infamous copy-nin shrugged and did a swift hand sign to get himself out of the hospital before one of the nurses realized it was time for his annual check up; Sasuke had already done the same sometime after he'd poised his question to the younger man. Sometimes, trying to return to the way things had been before just wasn't enough.


End file.
